Those Nights
by Tjix
Summary: I can feel his breath on my ear, and I'm glad to be here instead of out in the rain.


(((Dedication: Dedicated to Veji, who shares my love of both Hiei and Kurama (along with, I must admit, thousands of other fangirls). Also dedicated to my awesome beta reader, Darkness is my Savior.

Summary:

Hiei is having a hard night. As usual on his hard nights, he heads to Kurama's house. All he expects is a place to crash. What he receives is a level of comfort that he has not known for years.

Disclaimer: I own... nothing... nothing at all... _(curls up in fetal position and rocks back and forth)_

Info: nonyaoi, Hiei/Kurama friendship fluff, one-shot, rating for some adult themes

Author notes: Hiei may seem slightly OOC, but look at it this way; if, as thousands of crazed fangirls claim, he has the nerve to bed Kurama, surely he has the nerve to consider him a friend and talk straight to him? Anyway, keep in mind that this is nonromantic/nonyaoi. Reign in your sick minds. It's all innocent.)))

**Little One**

**By: Tjix**

Kurama

He had been sleeping on my windowsill.

He tends toward spending time at my house on the more difficult nights, it seems. I don't know what he had been doing, thinking, or remembering during the day, but whatever it was, it came back to him come nightfall. It always does.

When the night began, I was already nearly asleep. Despite any feelings of drowsiness, however, by the time Hiei was rapping on my window, I was already out of bed and crossing the room. Hiei has a very distinct energy signature—I could sense him coming from miles away.

It was windy and raining outside. My young friend was thoroughly sodden. I allowed him entrance, slid the window quickly shut, and turned to him.

On a normal day, Hiei would have been steaming as his high temperature dried his clothes at an accelerated rate. However, something had changed today. He was standing in the middle of the room, dripping on the floor and shivering. He may just as well have screamed that something was wrong.

"Hiei...?" I took a step toward him, then stopped, thwarted by the scowl he had aimed at me.

"Low on energy," he said tartly. "I don't want to talk about it."

Nodding was the most I could do. He looked weary and frustrated. Most of all, he looked cold.

"You'll become ill if you remain in those wet clothes," I informed him.

His lips tightened, the only sign of the struggle I know instantly ensued within him. His pride battled his common sense—and his chilled tremors. At last, his need to be warm won out. He began to undress.

I busied myself searching for a spare cover in my closet. "Drape the clothes over the edge of the tub in the bathroom," I told him over my shoulder. "I'll put them in the dryer."

"Hn," was the only reply I received.

I turned and held out the cover for him to take, avoiding looking directly at him. He had soon enfolded himself tightly in it. Glancing at him, I could not prevent a smile. The foot of the blanket dragged on the floor, even though Hiei had wrapped it all the way up to his shoulders. I know that he hates to be small. The silly youkai should give himself more time. After all, he is still a child by Makai standards.

Hiei hitched the blanket up a bit higher on his body and looked away from me, wrestling with his pride once more. "...Fox..."

"You may spend the night here." We had been through these motions before. As I mentioned, this happened every so often, on Hiei's more strenuous nights.

That was hours ago. Now you know how he ended up asleep on my windowsill.

I had nearly fallen asleep, myself, when a soft whimper drew my attention. Supporting myself into a sitting position, I studied Hiei.

He was curled up compactly inside of the blanket, leaning hard against the window. His eyes were firmly closed and his fists were clenched on the edges of the coverlet.

I still don't know what was wrong. I assume that he was seeing... unwholesome things... in his dreams. It might surprise the other Reikai Tantei to know that Hiei has consistent nightmares, but if they would stop to think a moment—something they rarely do—they would realize that if anyone were to have dark dreams, it would be Hiei.

Allowing myself a sigh, I wondered what excuse I could use to wake him that would not hurt his pride. I thought about this even as I made the small trip from the bed to the window.

"Hiei?" I whispered, shaking him as gently as I could.

"Mhmphn... Fox...?" His face tilted away from the window and toward me.

"Your clothes are dry."

Hiei opened one crimson eye and glared at me. "You woke me up to tell me that?"

"Would you prefer to remain naked?"

"Hn." He pulled the blanket tighter around himself and buried his face in the fabric. "I'm not moving."

"I will bring them to you, so long as you will not make me dress you."

He glared at me again. I grinned apologetically and went to fetch his clothes. Perhaps I should not have made that particular joke.

I turned my back as he got dressed, crawling back into my bed. When I glanced at him again, I could see him shivering slightly and clutching the blanket to him, as though embracing whatever small protection it could offer. It would take him quite a while to get back to sleep, I knew. He would never admit to needing comfort, but I am very old, and have gained much understanding; in addition, I have known Hiei for quite a while. I can read him better than he seems to think.

Deciding on my course of action, I waited until he drowsed. Then I went to him. Lifting his small body in my arms and ignoring his instant rigidity, I scooted onto the windowsill beneath him.

"Fox?" he asked, cracking one eye open. "What are you doing?"

"Sleep, Hiei."

Uncertain, he closed his eye but remained stiff. I cradled him against my chest like a very small child.

After a long while, he relaxed and fell asleep gripping my shirt.

And that is how it stands as of this moment.

_**A few hours later...**_

Hiei

I can feel his breath on my ear.

We're not on his windowsill anymore. We're in his bed. No, you sick-minded _baka_, we haven't been consorting. A few hours ago, Kurama complained that the window was too hard to sleep on, and the stupid fox moved to the bed. Of course, being a stupid fox, he didn't put me down first, so I ended up under the covers with him. Not that I mind the extra warmth. That stupid rain chilled me to the bone.

The rain was still falling outside, and I didn't want to see it, so I turned the other way. Unfortunately, this meant that I ended up facing Kurama. Stupid fox...

I have to admit, though, that his timing had been helpful. He woke me up from that hideous dream. I didn't even want to think about the dream long enough to remember what it was about.

Still, flashes flicked through my mind and were gone just as swiftly. My body tensed unintentionally as I struggled with the unwelcome thoughts.

Damn the uncanny connection between the fox and myself. He sensed my distress, even in a deep sleep like the one he was in. Baring his teeth, his eyes still tightly shut, he snarled. He was halfway into the form of Youko Kurama before he settled down.

It took me a moment to realize I was secured in his arms again. I could feel his claws resting lightly on my back. Silvery-red hair trailed over the pillow and across my face. One of his tails coiled gently around my left leg.

I sometimes look at Kurama and wonder if... if I lust after him. Undeniably, he is beautiful, both as a human and as a demon. Still, every time I think about it, I decide that I don't. If what I feel for him is lust (or "love," whatever that might be), wouldn't I want more from him? Wouldn't I be discontent with just his friendship? Wouldn't I want something... else? I don't honestly know. I have nothing to compare it to. I have never lusted after anyone before—no one was worth it. Similarly, I have never had a friend like Kurama.

I stared up into his face, a curious mixture of gentle Shuichi Minamino and ruthless Youko Kurama. If I listened carefully, I could hear the low, protective growl coming from the back of his throat. His arms tightened around my waist, claws digging slightly into my skin. I flinched and shifted closer so that his claws didn't impale me.

Waking and raising his head slightly, he opened his eyes. Their usual blazing emerald was ringed with Youko's gold. That was part of my dream, I thought, and then it was gone again.

"Hiei?" he asked sleepily.

I looked away, my stomach clenching as I realized that he felt my struggle against the stupid dream. "Go back to sleep, Fox."

He wasn't fooled. One of his hands moved up and touched the back of my neck. "What's amiss, Hiei?"

Without thinking, I blurted, "What is this, Kurama?"

Damn it all. I had called him by his name. Now he _knew_ something was wrong.

"Explain," he commanded.

"_This_," I whispered. "This _thing _that lets me reveal everything to you—my vulnerable points, my darkest secrets—and not fear that you will use them against me. This _thing_ that lets me lie here with my throat and belly exposed to you, my life at your mercy, and not even feel uneasy. This _thing _that makes you protective enough that if you sense something wrong with me, you turn into Youko Kurama. What _is_ it?"

His tail tightened on my leg. I felt his thumb gently stroking the back of my neck as he thought.

"I'm not sure," he said at last. "Bear in mind that this is all very new to me, as well. In my past life, as Youko Kurama, I trusted very few people or no one. Since I became a human, I have learned to trust certain people with certain things. I trust my human mother to keep my best interests at heart. I trust Yusuke and Kuwabara with my past. I trust Koenma and Botan with my future. I trust Shizuru with my thoughts, Yukina with my hopes, and Keiko with my plans. I would trust any one of them with my life. But you, Hiei... you are the only one to whom I can trust _all_ of me. And I don't know what that is." His hand was now making slow circles on my back. I shivered a little and moved closer to him.

"But it's not..." I found that I couldn't complete the idea. Fortunately, I didn't have to. Somehow, Kurama understood.

"It is not lust. I may never have had such an intimate friendship, but I _have_ felt lusting before. This is different. Desire does not constitute trust, or any particular care for the coveted individual's well being. I believe that it is love—the same love I feel for my stepbrother. And yet, I could never trust Suiichi as I trust you." He sighed, spread his hands flat on my back, and pulled me a little closer. "Sleep, Hiei. There is little time remaining until dawn."

"Hn..." I rested my forehead against his chest.

"Goodnight, little one," he murmured.

I smiled discreetly. Kurama is the only one in all three worlds (excluding, perhaps, Mukuro) who can get away with calling me something like 'little one.' I suppose he has earned the right... and besides, he _is_ quite a bit older than I.

He is asleep now. I am half asleep, myself. Few things are registering with my fatigued mind. I can hear his heartbeat, quiet and steady, comforting... like him.

And I can feel his breath on my ear.


End file.
